Decentralizing Traffic Congestion in Tirana’s Urban Centre Re-interpreting spontaneous commuting as a tool for sustainable growth in Kashar
Author
Morika KAKINUMA DEANGELIS
Affiliation
PhD IDAUP / University of Ferrara, Italy
Abstract
The socio-political and historical evolution of Tirana, Albania has left a complex interweaving of overlapping patterns, functions and narratives upon the urban landscape, resulting in a rapidly urbanizing and growing city that is responding to concurrent phases of top-down, bottom- up, planned and organic urban development. These dynamic and conflicting development narratives are a broader reflection of post-socialist urbanization phenomena in the Balkans, where rapid growth often outpaces or occurs outside of infrastructural and governance capacities. These contradictory planning processes rely upon a transport infrastructure that inadequately meets commuter needs, resulting in intense traffic congestion at major entry or exit points. This research hypothesizes that the challenges of traffic congestion, concentrated financial investment in the city centre, and preference towards privately-owned vehicles can be addressed through an alternative methodological approach focused on examining the effects of small-scale commuting decisions on road infrastructure and its relationship to urban services. The methodology is explored through a project-based approach in the peripheral neighbourhood of Kashar, a strategic area along the Tirana - Durrës corridor that connects to the airport and major highway and railway infrastructure projects. Application of this methodology in Kashar uncovers a network of secondary and tertiary roads functioning as alternative primary roads for commuters to bypass traffic, in addition to isolated urban areas that are void of necessary services. The resulting analysis and findings enable an interpretation of a closed-system geometric framework that addresses the realities of commuting choices, urban functions and integration of major development. This sustainable framework for urban growth mitigates traffic congestion by decentralizing existing hotspots and identifying sites for new urban centres that pierce the landscape to weave together present and future connections. By leveraging commuters’ spontaneous use of infrastructure, this approach addresses Tirana’s organic development logic while providing solutions for its future growth.
